Should You Count Calories? How Daily Calorie Intake Fits into Health

The number of calories in a food is simply the amount of energy it can provide. Today, calorie counts are calculated by looking at macronutrients. Per gram, carbohydrates and protein contain four calories, fat contains nine, and alcohol contains seven. The number of calories required per day varies wildly per person. Equations exist that factor age, gender, weight, height and activity level. The result gives the number of calories needed to maintain one’s current weight. Note, however, that the quality of calories eaten matters as well. Nutrient-dense foods are the most beneficial. Learning how to stop eating is also important. Counting calories can be useful for athletes, but for others it becomes a source of anxiety.

Key Takeaways:

• The media holds up calories as the ultimate tool for weight loss, but the truth is more complicated.
• A calorie is a unit of energy, and you can figure out how many you need by figuring out how much energy you use each day.
• While calories are important for weight loss, the quality of food and nutrient density are also factors.

“If you’ve ever had this experience, you may be wondering how in the world anyone maintains anything close to a healthy weight.”

Read more: https://foodrevolution.org/blog/do-calories-matter-for-health/